A foreign policy buff recently asked what this writer thought U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken could do to break the stalemate in the cease-fire hostage negotiations which are now at a critical phase.
Assuming that Hamas will refuse the current proposal, unless Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agrees to a six week cease-fire without an Israeli presence along the 8.7 mile Philadelphia Corridor to block military material from entering Gaza, here are persuasive American suggestions to get Israel over the line:
—A firm public commitment that if Iran targets and reaches Israel population centers that the United States will support offensive military action against Iran.
—A firm commitment to take diplomatic and commercial action against Qatar if they continue to shelter Hamas leaders.
—A private pre arranged pathway agreed with the Saudis for them to join the Abraham accords to be made public once the cease fire is in effect.
—Some assurance that the United States will take measures to assure that Turkey, a member of NATO, rescinds its threat to attack Israel or loses its status in some way within NATO.
What of course is unknown is whether the suggestions are consistent with policy positions that the White House, the National Security Council, the State Department and Central Command have adopted or will be willing to adopt.
What would be worrisome and irresponsible would be a situation where decisions have not been made in adopting these policy positions or not.
Mark L. Cohen has his own legal practice, and was counsel at White & Case starting in 2001, after serving as international lawyer and senior legal consultant for the French aluminum producer Pechiney. Cohen was a senior consultant at a Ford Foundation Commission, an advisor to the PBS television program "The Advocates," and Assistant Attorney General in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. He teaches U.S. history at the business school in Lille l'EDHEC. Read Mark L. Cohen's Reports — More Here.